Caleb POV
My hand connected with Prince Ash’s perfect jaw before I even realized I was moving. The Fae prince stumbled backward, feeling his lip in surprise while everyone in the strategy tent stared at .
"Caleb!" Lily gasped, rushing between us. "What are you doing?"
I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know. One mont I’d been listening to Prince Ash explain fight tactics to Lily, and the next I was throwing punches like so kind of animal. The worst part? I wanted to hit him again.
"I’m sorry," I said quickly, stepping back. "I don’t know what ca over ."
Prince Ash fixed his jacket, looking more amused than angry. "Ah, I see what’s happening here."
"You see what?" I demanded, that strange angry feeling bubbling up again.
"Nothing," Lily said firmly, giving the Fae prince a warning look. "Caleb’s just stressed about the war. We all are."
But I caught the knowing smile on Prince Ash’s face, and it made want to punch him again. What was wrong with ? I’d never been angry before. I was the quiet brother, the one who solved problems with books and plans, not fists.
"Perhaps we should continue this discussion later," said Dmitri the vampire, who’d been watching with interest. "When everyone’s feeling more... controlled."
As the magical leaders filed out of the tent, I noticed how they all seed to look at Lily differently now. Not with the mistrust they’d shown before, but with sothing that looked almost like respect. Or worse - respect.
"Caleb, are you okay?" Lily asked once we were alone. "You’ve been acting strange all week."
Strange didn’t begin to cover it. Ever since Lily had started working closely with the supernatural friends, I’d been feeling things I couldn’t na. Angry when other guys talked to her. Protective when she went on scouting trips. Worried when she ca back tired from using her new skills.
"I’m fine," I lied. "Just tired."
"You’re not fine," she said, moving closer. "Talk to . What’s bothering you?"
How could I explain that watching her work with Prince Ash made feel like my skin was crawling? That hearing Dmitri complint her skills made want to challenge him to a fight? That seeing her grow stronger and more confident while working with everyone except made feel like I was losing sothing important?
"It’s nothing," I said again, but my voice ca out rougher than I ant it to.
Lily’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t lie to , Caleb Silver. I can see supernatural energies now, rember? And yours are all twisted up with sothing dark."
Before I could reply, Brock burst into the tent. "We’ve got a problem. Three of the saved pack mbers just disappeared from the dical tent."
My stomach dropped. The wolves Lily had saved from the Void Walker had been acting strange since their rescue. They kept staring at people with eyes that seed too knowing, too aware.
"How did they get past the guards?" Lily asked.
"That’s the thing," Brock said sadly. "The guards don’t rember them leaving. They just... forgot they were supposed to be watching them."
"mory manipulation," I said, my scholar’s mind imdiately jumping to the worst option. "The Shadow Council can make people forget things."
"Which ans those weren’t really rescued pack mbers," Lily whispered, her face going pale. "They were spies."
We ran to the dical tent, but it was too late. The three wolves were gone, and with them, any chance of keeping our plans hidden. They’d been listening to our strategy talks for days.
"We have to assu they know everything," Aiden said when we called an ergency eting. "Our attack plans, our weaknesses, the location of our camp."
"Then we move," Dmitri offered. "Find a new base."
"There’s nowhere to go," Prince Ash said softly. "They’ll find us wherever we hide."
That’s when the angry feeling in my chest burst into sothing bigger. "This is your fault," I snapped at the Fae prince. "You’re the one who said we should trust the rescued wolves."
"Actually, that was Lily’s idea," Prince Ash responded calmly.
"Don’t you dare bla her," I snarled, moving toward him again. "She was trying to save people."
"And I’m not blaming her," Prince Ash said, but his eyes were sparkling like he found this whole situation entertaining. "I’m simply pointing out that trust is a dangerous thing in war."
"Caleb, stop," Lily said, putting her hand on my arm. "He’s right. This was my mistake."
"No, it wasn’t," I said furiously. "You did what any good person would do. You tried to help."
"And now we’re all going to pay for it," Aiden said tiredly.
That’s when I realized what was happening to . The anger, the protectiveness, the need to defend Lily even when she was wrong - it wasn’t just stress or fear about the war.
I was jealous.
Jealous of Prince Ash’s easy ease around her. Jealous of Dmitri’s impressed comnts about her skills. Jealous of every magical creature who got to work with her while I felt more useless every day.
But why? We were friends, nothing more. We’d never been anything more.
"I need so air," I said, shoving past everyone to get outside.
Lily followed , which only made the strange feelings worse. "Caleb, wait."
"I’m fine," I said for the third ti, but even I didn’t believe it anymore.
"You’re not fine, and neither am I," she said. "Ever since I lost my pack ties, I’ve been feeling... different. About everything. About you."
I stopped walking. "What do you an?"
"I an I don’t understand what’s happening between us," she said quietly. "But I know it’s sothing."
Before I could respond, the ground beneath our feet started to shake. Not an earthquake - sothing else. Sothing that made the air itself feel wrong.
"What is that?" Lily asked, her new abilities clearly picking up on sothing I couldn’t sense.
That’s when I saw them. Dozens of figures erging from the bush around our camp. They moved with purpose, surrounding us completely.
"The Shadow Council," I breathed.
But as they got closer, I realized sothing horrible. These weren’t just Shadow Council mbers.
They were our lost pack mbers. Every wolf who’d disappeared over the past few months. All of them walking toward us with those sa dark, hungry eyes.
And leading them was soone I recognized.
"Hello, little brother," said a voice that sounded exactly like Aiden’s.
I spun around to see my brother standing behind us, but his eyes glowed with the sa darkness as the coming figures.
"Aiden?" Lily whispered.
"Not anymore," not-Aiden smiled. "Though I have to thank you both. Watching you through his eyes has been very informative."
That’s when I understood. The real Aiden was gone. Had been gone for who knows how long. And I’d been too busy being jealous to notice that my own brother had been replaced.
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